Modular electrical connectors are often used to establish electrical contact between electrical as components such as backplanes, motherboards, daughter cards, etc. Modular electrical connectors used in applications of this type often comprise a plug, and a receptacle for mating with the plug. The plug and the receptacle may each comprise a plurality of printed circuit boards (PCBs) having conductive traces formed thereon. The PCBs are usually positioned in a side by side arrangement within a housing that supports and constrains the PCBs.
The conductive traces can extend between a forward edge and a lower edge of each PCB (this type of configuration produces a so-called “right-angle” plug or receptacle adapted for mounting on a surface that is substantially perpendicular to the mating plane of the plug or receptacle). A first plurality of contact pins may be coupled to each PCB proximate the lower edge thereof. The contact pins securely engage through holes formed in anther electrical, e.g., a daughter card. The contact pins thereby facilitate mounting of the plug or receptacle on the daughter card, and establish electrical contact between the plug or receptacle and the daughter card.
A second plurality of contact pins (hereinafter referred to as “mating pins”) may be coupled to each PCB in the plug, proximate the forward edge thereof. Receptacle-type contacts such as contact beams may be coupled to each PCB in the receptacle, proximate the forward edge thereof. The plug and receptacle mate in a manner that causes each the mating pins to engage a respective one of the mating pins, thereby establishing electrical contact between the plug and the receptacle. The plug and receptacle can be configured to mate when the daughter cards are positioned in substantially the same orientation, i.e., when the major planes of the daughter cards are substantially parallel. Alternatively, the plug and receptacle can be configured to mate when the respective major planes of the daughter cards are substantially perpendicular.
The ability of the plug and receptacle to mate in a satisfactory manner generally requires precise alignment between plug and receptacle and, more particularly, between each of the mating pins and the corresponding contact beam. Misalignment between the plug and receptacle as the plug and receptacle are mated can result in unacceptably high insertion forces. Moreover, misalignment occurring after the plug and receptacle have been mated can cause one or more of the mating pins to lose contact with the corresponding contact beam and, in extreme cases, can result in damage to the mating pins or the contact beams.
(Misalignment between the plug and receptacle is often caused by misalignment between the daughter cards (or other electrical component), upon which the plug and receptacle are mounted. Misalignment between the daughter cards of one or more electrical devices can be caused, for example, by manufacturing and assembly tolerances, thermal expansion, physical shock and vibration, relative movement between the electrical devices, etc.)
Furthermore, the ability of modular electrical connectors to tolerate misalignment between the plug and receptacle thereof is decreasing, in general, due to ongoing demands for smaller overall connector dimensions, higher signal speeds, lower cross talk, greater numbers of modules per board, larger boards, etc. in electrical connectors.
Consequently, a need exists for a modular electrical connector able to tolerate misalignment between a plug and a receptacle thereof.